This cue is made with a full length red oak core which makes for a "lively" hit. The black Walnut forearm is inlaid with 4 V-groove points of bamboo with black phenolic veneers. The pin is brass with an Abalone dot inserted in the end of it. The joint is flat faced 3/8-10 with phenolic collars. The handle is cut from premium bamboo and segmented.
The trim rings are Brazilian Rosewood outlined with black black phenolic rings. The same treatment used in the forearm is applied to the PH butt sleeve which is dressed off with a holly "Hoppe ring". The cue weighs 19.3 ounces and the weight is NON-adjustable (I do not use weight bolts). The shaft is cut from AAA maple and features a pressed Triangle tip coupled with a Micarta-M ferrule (12.8mm). The joint end is phenolic with a Katalox threaded insert.
A few words about bamboo: I have long been interested in bamboo as a material to use in cues since my frequent trips
to Asia showed me the strength of bamboo used for scaffolding in buildings that were 30 stories and more high.
My interest peaked when my grand sons told me they were now using bamboo to make baseball bats. Evidently the
ball just flies off the bat, much like it does with aluminum bats. Further research revealed that bamboo has a tensile strength of 28,000 pound per square inch as compared to steel at 23,000 psi. Those figures are for raw bamboo, not laminated which
increases the tensile strength many fold. The best bamboo to use for baseball bats (and pool cues) is called "Tonkin"
which comes from Guangdong Providence in China. This is the same species that is used to make flyrods. I was fortunate
enough to find a company that made laminates from Tonkin in a 3/4" thickness. By glueing two laminates together I had a 1 1/2" turning square. Further research into bamboo baseball bats revealed that the top-of-the-line baseball bats were cored. That fit my cue making philosophy perfectly because I full length core all my cues, usually with purple heart. The result is a unique cue that has the attributes of a cored bamboo baseball bat. These are strength with just the right amount of flex, the lovely feel and look of bamboo and the "hit" which can be described as "lively". Try one of my hybrid bamboo cues--you will not be disappointed.
